Dammit to hell, Hurricane Irma is a thing.

[Cartmann99]

I just wanted to say that you Floridians are complete badasses in my eyes. You have those damn Palmetto bugs, gators, and you have to deal with hurricanes. 

I will continue to send good thoughts to everyone else in the path of this damn storm.

[Cartmann99]

Those poor people! 

[onekidanddone]

I haven't seen anything about Irma getting sucked up the Chesapeake Bay, but with two more on the way our luck is bound to run out.  I can't even begin to imagine how the residents of Florida are coping right now.  After watching Harvey, to say it must beyond terrifying is such an under statement. 

[Destiny]

PR seems to be doing ok. BFF has no water, power, or internet and lost every tree in his yard, but it’s not as bad as they feared so far.

My beloved St. Martin though. </3

I can’t even re: Antigua and Barbuda.

[onekidanddone]

3 minutes ago, Destiny said:

I can’t even re: Antigua and Barbuda.

I don't want to "like" this, because there is nothing to like about Irma.  I just wanted to acknowledge your post.

[GreyhoundFan]

Since the TT's properties were mentioned earlier in this thread, I thought I'd link this WaPo article: "Hurricane Irma just slammed into Trump’s Caribbean estate — and is headed toward his Florida properties"

Spoiler

A ferocious Hurricane Irma barreled early Wednesday morning across the Caribbean island of St. Martin, where President Trump owns a lavish waterfront estate, wrecking buildings, overturning cars and uprooting trees with punishing winds.

The status of Trump’s 11-bedroom gated compound on Plum Bay, which is on the market, was not immediately known. But officials with the French government, which controls the side of the island where his beachfront property is located, said the territory suffered serious damage.

A cluster of government buildings on the island was partially destroyed, and two-dozen government officials were forced to take shelter inside a concrete structure.

“We know that the four most solid buildings on the island have been destroyed, which means that more rustic structures have probably been completely or partially destroyed,” French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told AFP.

Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, said that company officials are monitoring the situation in St. Martin very closely.

“All of the proper precautions and protections have been implemented and right now we are just praying for all those in the path of Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean and beyond,” Miller said in a statement.

Photos and videos from St. Martin posted on social media show flattened buildings, cars tumbled on their sides and water crashing into hotel balconies.

...

Trump’s Chateau des Palmiers estate — whose name translates to “Castle of the Palms” — covers nearly five acres and comes with a pool at the beach’s edge, a tennis court and fitness center. The trust that oversees his holdings recently slashed the asking price from $28 million to $16.9 million.

Trump and his family visited the property frequently after purchasing it in 2013. But in recent years, the estate has largely served as a rental, generating between $100,000 and $1 million between January 2016 and April 15 of this year, according to the president’s financial disclosure.

After barreling across the Caribbean, Hurricane Irma is headed for South Florida, potentially threatening Trump’s signature Mar-A-Lago club and three golf courses he owns in Doral, West Palm Beach and Jupiter. Forecasters said it is too soon to know whether they will be in the direct path of the hurricane, but all are likely to face tropical storm conditions, at minimum.

“The safety and security of our guests, members and colleagues is our top priority and we are closely monitoring Hurricane Irma,” Miller said. “Our teams at the Trump properties in Florida are taking all of the proper precautions and following local and Florida state advisories very closely to ensure that everyone is kept safe and secure. We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to victims of Hurricane Harvey and are praying for those that are in the path of Hurricane Irma.”

Trump National Doral, which recently completed a three-year, $250 million renovation, tweeted Wednesday that the resort was still open for business, for now.

...

 

[Destiny]

I have a bunch of other friends I haven’t heard from. I’m hoping phone is just turned off to conserve battery.
This is nerve wracking BULLSHIT.

[Cartmann99]

 

[Audrey2]

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Since the TT's properties were mentioned earlier in this thread, I thought I'd link this WaPo article: "Hurricane Irma just slammed into Trump’s Caribbean estate — and is headed toward his Florida properties"

  Reveal hidden contents

A ferocious Hurricane Irma barreled early Wednesday morning across the Caribbean island of St. Martin, where President Trump owns a lavish waterfront estate, wrecking buildings, overturning cars and uprooting trees with punishing winds.

The status of Trump’s 11-bedroom gated compound on Plum Bay, which is on the market, was not immediately known. But officials with the French government, which controls the side of the island where his beachfront property is located, said the territory suffered serious damage.

A cluster of government buildings on the island was partially destroyed, and two-dozen government officials were forced to take shelter inside a concrete structure.

“We know that the four most solid buildings on the island have been destroyed, which means that more rustic structures have probably been completely or partially destroyed,” French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told AFP.

Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, said that company officials are monitoring the situation in St. Martin very closely.

“All of the proper precautions and protections have been implemented and right now we are just praying for all those in the path of Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean and beyond,” Miller said in a statement.

Photos and videos from St. Martin posted on social media show flattened buildings, cars tumbled on their sides and water crashing into hotel balconies.

...

Trump’s Chateau des Palmiers estate — whose name translates to “Castle of the Palms” — covers nearly five acres and comes with a pool at the beach’s edge, a tennis court and fitness center. The trust that oversees his holdings recently slashed the asking price from $28 million to $16.9 million.

Trump and his family visited the property frequently after purchasing it in 2013. But in recent years, the estate has largely served as a rental, generating between $100,000 and $1 million between January 2016 and April 15 of this year, according to the president’s financial disclosure.

After barreling across the Caribbean, Hurricane Irma is headed for South Florida, potentially threatening Trump’s signature Mar-A-Lago club and three golf courses he owns in Doral, West Palm Beach and Jupiter. Forecasters said it is too soon to know whether they will be in the direct path of the hurricane, but all are likely to face tropical storm conditions, at minimum.

“The safety and security of our guests, members and colleagues is our top priority and we are closely monitoring Hurricane Irma,” Miller said. “Our teams at the Trump properties in Florida are taking all of the proper precautions and following local and Florida state advisories very closely to ensure that everyone is kept safe and secure. We continue to send our thoughts and prayers to victims of Hurricane Harvey and are praying for those that are in the path of Hurricane Irma.”

Trump National Doral, which recently completed a three-year, $250 million renovation, tweeted Wednesday that the resort was still open for business, for now.

...

 

For all others involved, I am so sorry you're going through this. I hope those you care about are okay. @Destiny, I understand your grief for the place you love. It's so awful to think that a beloved place will not be beautiful again during your lifetime. Sadly, many of us in the west can relate.

I've cleaned up and erased my first thought. Here's the nicer version: Does anyone else find it ironic that it's a female named storm that's going after Trump's properties? Mother Nature is not happy with him! Between being a climate change denier and saying crude things about women, I have no sympathy for him.

[RosyDaisy]

According to my friends in the weather community, Irma has caused seismic waves to be registered. That is scary.

[Audrey2]

@GreyhoundFan, just had another thought about your post. If Mar-a-Lago is seriously damaged or destroyed, where will Trump escape to on the weekends this winter? 

[Bethella]

21 minutes ago, RosyDaisy said:

According to my friends in the weather community, Irma has caused seismic waves to be registered. That is scary.

That's not uncommon. https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2017/09/05/hurricane-irma-so-strong-its-registering-devices-designed-detect-earthquakes/634419001/

[RosyDaisy]

I know it's common. I just find it scary.

[Howl]

My heart hurts for all in the path of this horror.  My relative had around 80 mph winds max for Harvey, and to think about 185 mph winds with gusts up to 225 mph is terrifying.  Haiti? I can't even imagine the devastation on every level in Haiti, a country with basically no infrastructure that has likely never recovered from the earthquake. 

The earth's surface along some areas of the coast of Texas has been suppressed by 2 cm from the weight of the rain that fell from Harvey.  

[GreyhoundFan]

7 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

@GreyhoundFan, just had another thought about your post. If Mar-a-Lago is seriously damaged or destroyed, where will Trump escape to on the weekends this winter? 

Oh, he'll stop at nothing to grift funds to repair Mar-a-Loco immediately. He will take away from people who lost their homes, including tying up all the contractors in the area. He'll probably hit up his buddy/boss Vlad to pay for it.

[GreyhoundFan]

"The tiny Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma are in trouble — and begging for help"

Spoiler

As the worst of Hurricane Irma departed Antigua and Barbuda early Wednesday, Prime Minister Gaston Browne boasted that “no other country in the Caribbean would have been as well prepared as we were.” The problem with this statement, as he later acknowledged, was that Barbuda was left “barely habitable.”

Barbuda sustained damage to about 95 percent of all properties there, Browne told local media after flying over the island. Aerial footage showed homes with entire walls blown out and entire roofs ripped away. Those who lived through it described a night of pure terror.

“I felt like crying,” Browne said after seeing the destruction, “but crying will not help.”

As Irma continues a merciless churn toward the U.S. mainland, those first islanders left in its wake are only beginning to decipher the scope of devastation — or, in some fortunate cases, a surprising paucity thereof.

Barbuda. Anguilla. St. Martin. St. Barthelemy.

These jurisdictions are part of the Leeward Islands, a vulnerable, isolated chain arcing southeast from Puerto Rico. As night fell Wednesday, and people took stock of what's been lost, there was confusion, desperation and worsening fear that another hurricane, Jose, which already has formed in the Atlantic, appears to be coming for them, too.

On Thursday and Friday, it will be others' turn to make sense of the damage wrought by Irma, only to look ahead at what Jose may have in store.

To the west, Irma raked the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, where nearly 1 million people were without electricity Wednesday night. The Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands are next in its path. Closer to Florida's southern tip, the Bahamas remain in danger, and mass evacuations are underway.

The United Nations has said Irma, a historic Category 5 storm, could affect as many as 37 million people.

At 5 a.m. Thursday, when the National Hurricane Center offered its latest update, officials offered this ominous bulletin about Jose:

“... JOSE A LITTLE STRONGER ...”

The looming storm now has sustained wind speeds nearing 90 miles per hour with even stronger gusts. Its potency is forecast to grow over the next 48 hours. “Interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the progress of Jose. Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches will likely be
required for portions of these islands later this morning.”

Of Barbuda's 1,400 residents, about 60 percent are homeless, Browne told the Associated Press. The prime minister has vowed to evacuate everyone there to Antigua ahead of Jose's arrival.

To the south, in the French territories of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, at least eight people have died. Ghastly images, captured on mobile phones and circulated on social media, showed cars and trucks almost completely submerged in the storm surge, and several buildings in ruin.

French President Emmanuel Macron said it's still too soon to determine how many victims there may be. He has dispatched the country's overseas territories minister, Annick Girardin, who told reporters while en route to the region that evacuations may be necessary, the BBC reported.

In Anguilla, part of the British West Indies, the local government is “overwhelmed” and desperate for help, Attorney General John McKendrick told The Washington Post late Wednesday.

Officials were barely able to communicate among one another and with emergency response teams, he said. With most lines down, they were dependent on instant messaging.

It appears at least one person has died in Anguilla, McKendrick said.

“Roads blocked, hospital damaged. Power down. Communications badly impaired. Help needed,” he wrote in one message. In another, McKendrick said, “More people might die without further help, especially as another hurricane threatens us so soon.”

Jose remains deep in the central Atlantic for now, but as it gathered strength Wednesday, forecasters said it's expected to become a dangerous Category 3 hurricane by Friday. It's possible the storm could approach the same islands this weekend.

The United Kingdom's international development secretary, Priti Patel, announced Wednesday that the British navy, along with several Royal Marines and a contingent of military engineers, had been dispatched to the Caribbean with makeshift shelters and water purification systems. While some in England criticized the response, McKendrick told The Post that he's worried they, too, will quickly become overwhelmed by the amount of work that must be done to restore a sense of normalcy.

Elsewhere on Anguilla, some informal reports were less bleak. The Facebook page for Roy's Bayside Grill, for instance, remained active as Irma passed.

Around 7:30 a.m., the page broadcast a brief live video, about a minute of footage of the storm captured from inside an unidentified building. With rain pelting the windows and wind whipping the treetops back and forth, a narrator calmly describes the scene outside. “Can't see very far at all,” he says. “We've got whitecaps on the pool. Water is spilling out. And it's quite a ride. But thought I'd check in and let everyone know we're still good.”

Phone lines to the restaurant appeared to be down by the afternoon, and messages left with the Facebook page's administrator were not immediately returned.

At 1 p.m., a panoramic photo appeared showing several buildings. The decking on one appeared to be ripped apart, and debris was scattered about the beach. One industrial building had a hole in its roof, but by and large everything was still standing.

“We made it through,” the caption reads, “but there is a lot of work to be done.”

The videos and pictures in the article are sobering.

[GrumpyGran]

Trump just spoke for about three minutes and he was coherent, half-way intelligent about the current situation, not insulting, and used a sentence. Sure, it was one long sentence and he had to use his favorite word-tremendous-three times, but for him it was rather shocking.

12 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

@GreyhoundFan, just had another thought about your post. If Mar-a-Lago is seriously damaged or destroyed, where will Trump escape to on the weekends this winter? 

Prison?

[Cartmann99]

Please leave early if you are evacuating. I'm really scared that people are going to wait too long, and end up stuck in traffic during the storm. 

[GreyhoundFan]

57 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

Prison?

Please, Rufus, that would be wonderful!!

[GrumpyGran]

Just now on TV, Florida HP escorting big convoy of fuel trucks south. 

[Destiny]

I’ve heard from all my PR friends so now it’s time to start worrying about my Florida and South Carolina friends. Fuck this crap.

[Cartmann99]

Just to break the tension:

[GrumpyGran]

1 hour ago, Cartmann99 said:

Just to break the tension:

Oh, @Cartmann99, I  You!

[fraurosena]

On 6-9-2017 at 9:38 PM, GreyhoundFan said:

Fuck you Limbaugh: "Rush Limbaugh’s dangerous suggestion that Hurricane Irma is fake news"

  Reveal hidden contents

Rush Limbaugh didn't say the magic words, but on Tuesday he basically accused the media of creating fake news about Hurricane Irma, which is threatening Florida after hitting Barbuda and Antigua. The storm's 185-mile-per-hour winds tied the record high for any Atlantic hurricane making landfall.

“These storms, once they actually hit, are never as strong as they're reported,” Limbaugh claimed on his syndicated radio show. He added that “the graphics have been created to make it look like the ocean's having an exorcism, just getting rid of the devil here in the form of this hurricane, this bright red stuff.”

Why would the media exaggerate the threat of a hurricane? Here's Limbaugh's theory:

There is symbiotic relationship between retailers and local media, and it’s related to money. It revolves around money. You have major, major industries and businesses which prosper during times of crisis and panic, such as a hurricane, which could destroy or greatly damage people’s homes, and it could interrupt the flow of water and electricity. So what happens?

Well, the TV stations begin reporting this and the panic begins to increase. And then people end up going to various stores to stock up on water and whatever they might need for home repairs and batteries and all this that they’re advised to get, and a vicious circle is created. You have these various retail outlets who spend a lot of advertising dollars with the local media.

The local media, in turn, reports in such a way as to create the panic way far out, which sends people into these stores to fill up with water and to fill up with batteries, and it becomes a never-ending repeated cycle. And the two coexist. So the media benefits with the panic with increased eyeballs, and the retailers benefit from the panic with increased sales, and the TV companies benefit because they’re getting advertising dollars from the businesses that are seeing all this attention from customers.

To state the obvious, these are potentially dangerous comments from Limbaugh, who is based in Palm Beach, Fla. He is encouraging listeners who might be in Irma's path not to take seriously the official guidance disseminated through the media.

“I wish that not everything that involved news had become corrupted and politicized, but it just has,” he said.

More broadly, Limbaugh's bad advice reveals the metastasizing nature of “fake news” attacks on the press, which have been led by President Trump. How did we get from Trump's claim that he has “never seen more dishonest media than, frankly, the political media” to the idea that weather reports are phony, too?

Alex Jones might have something to do with it. The Infowars founder — who has an “amazing” reputation, according to Trump — has for years promoted the notion that the U.S. government possesses the power to conjure and control weather events. Just last week, as Hurricane Harvey battered Texas, Jones devoted part of his show to questioning why the government didn't “use the technologies to kill [the storm] out in the gulf.”

“It is weird how these storms go,” he said, suggesting Harvey might have been manufactured or manipulated. “They just sit over a city.”

Jones's contention is that the government — or, more precisely, the “deep state,” now that Trump is president — uses its “weather weapon” to stoke fear of climate change and promote a liberal agenda.

Jones might be a fringe figure, but he increasingly bleeds into the mainstream, thanks in part to Trump's validation. Witness Limbaugh's monologue about Irma, which echoed some of Jones's conspiracy theory.

Limbaugh, a fellow Trump booster, didn't say the deep state causes storms, but he did say “you have people in all of these government areas who believe man is causing climate change, and they’re hellbent on proving it, they’re hellbent on demonstrating it, they’re hellbent on persuading people of it.”

Limbaugh didn't say the deep state directs storms toward major cities, but he did say “hurricanes are always forecast to hit major population centers because, after all, major population centers is where the major damage will take place and where we can demonstrate that these things are getting bigger and they’re getting more frequent and they’re getting worse — all because of climate change.”

Thus we have two of the president's biggest promoters in the media telling people that news about a storm — or perhaps even the storm itself — is fake. There could be serious consequences to Trump's ceaseless effort to lower trust in institutions such as the government and the press — consequences that the president and his team might not have fully considered.

On the morning before Harvey hit Texas, CNN's Jim Acosta tweeted that a moment when “millions will be relying on national and local news outlets to stay safe during hurricane” is “not a good time to take shots at 'fake news.'”

Brad Parscale, the digital media director of Trump's campaign, scoffed at Acosta's warning, tweeting that “nobody said the weather is fake.”

... < tweets >

Actually, whether Parscale and Trump realize it or not, somebody does say the weather is fake.

 

Hmmm. I hear the presidunce has a nice mansion on St. Maarten for rent. Let him go live out there, if he doesn't think Irma is much of a storm then. Although I rather doubt the mansion is habitable any more. But that may be fake news, who knows?

Sadly, despite Rush Limbaugh's idiotic statements, Irma is very real, and very, very destructive. I read that scientists are now debating if it may be necessary to add CAT 6 to the scale, as Irma's forces are so high that labelling it CAT 5 seems insufficient.

As to St. Maarten, so far, there are 4 confirmed deaths on the French half of the island, and 1 on the Dutch half. People there are saying it looks like an atom bomb has destroyed the island, such is the utter devastation surrounding them. Even sturdy, brick buildings have suffered enormous damage. Tens of thousands of people are homeless now, and regrettably, a lot of pillaging and plundering is going on at the moment. To further complicate things, the police have also been struck by the effects of Irma and are in complete dissaray. Luckily the two marine frigates carrying supplies have now arrived and the military is aiding the police to ensure the lawlessness is kept to a minimum. 

How remarkable, that disasters such as this seem to bring out the best and the worst in humanity.

 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

2 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

How remarkable, that disasters such as this seem to bring out the best and the worst in humanity.

Oh, @fraurosena, please don't insult humanity by implying Limbaugh is a member of the human race.